Where is Your Girl Tonight?
by Crimson Idealist
Summary: Something goes wrong when Molly looks this time. Teen!Molly. Futurefic.


Where is Your Girl Tonight?

Disclaimer: Molly, Matt, and Mohinder all belong to Tim Kring. Jamie is mine.

Author's Note: Thank you to Ladybug218 for the beta.

"Molly, I need your help."

Molly Walker looked up from her homework to see Matt Parkman, one of her foster fathers, filling her bedroom doorway. His face appeared grim, his mouth turned down in a frown. She knew that look. Something was wrong.

"What is it?" Closing her math book, she sat up.

"Another missing kid, possibly a runaway. I hate to ask you, but we haven't turned up any leads yet." Matt walked in and sat down on the edge of Molly's bed. She felt it dip under his weight.

Molly smiled. "You know you don't have to ask. I'm happy to do it." And she was. For the past five years, she had been helping Matt and Mohinder find a manner of different people, ranging from missing children to other special people with powers. While most teenagers would rather do anything than help their parents, Molly enjoyed every moment of it. It was a chance to use the gift she had been given and to show how grateful she was Matt and Mohinder had taken her in.

She held out her hand. "Got a picture for me?"

Matt produced a small, wallet-sized photo. She took the photo and studied it. The guy in it was young with black hair and brown eyes. He was cute, too. Molly tried to bury that thought quickly before Matt could catch it. He didn't seem comfortable with the idea of her dating teenage boys yet.

Setting the picture down, she leaned over to her desk, which sat beside her bed, and retrieved a folded map of the United States and a box of thumbtacks out of the drawer. She spread the map out across her bed and pulled one of the pins out of the box. She gave Matt a brilliant smile.

"Here goes nothing," she said.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and concentrated.

It happened in a matter of seconds. One moment she saw the blackness of the back of her eyelids; the next she saw the boy from the picture sitting in a park, his jacket wrapped tightly around himself. She thought he was Central Park at first, but she realized it didn't look quite like it.

She studied the park, noticing it was next to water. Huge trees filled every grassy area and old black cannons framed its edges. A large white gazebo sat in the middle of the park with people leaning on its railings. A historical marker hung on the side of it telling its history and which park she was seeing.

"He's in Charleston, South Carolina," she reported.

The boy's head shot up, his brown eyes focusing on her. "What did you say? Who are you?"

Molly tried to pull herself out, her heart beating a mile a minute. She couldn't. Then she realized she had heard him. She had never been able to hear things before, only see. She could hear birds chirping and the lapping of the water across the street. Cars roared past her vision.

The wind picked up, a warm breeze touching her skin. The bench was hard and cold. Wait a minute! She could feel, too?

She glanced down and saw her own body sitting on the bench beside the boy. What was going on?

"You deaf or something?" the boy asked.

She met his eyes. "You can see me?"

"Yes." He drew out the "s" into a hiss, as if he were talking to someone incredibly slow. "I also know you weren't there a second ago."

Panic swelled up in Molly's chest. Anytime she had found someone, she could see them but they couldn't see her. For a second, she thought the Nightmare Man had found her again. But, no, Matt had taken care of him. He hadn't bothered her since she was eleven.

Matt. His powers had grown over the years. Five years ago, he could only read minds. Then he eventually could do the same things the Nightmare Man could. Maybe, just maybe, her powers were growing, too.

She closed her eyes and tried to think of home.

"Are you okay?" The boy's voice cut into her thoughts.

Her eyes flew open. "I can't get home."

"What?"

She looked out across the water, realization dawning on her. "I can't get home. I'm stuck here."

"Hey, look." The guy backed away from her. "I think there's a hospital a couple of streets over."

She ran a hand through her long, brown hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out." She faced him. "I was supposed to find you and then tell the police where you were. That's all." She saw his eyes widen as he jumped up from the bench. "Wait, what's your name? Why did you run away?"

"Why do you care?"

"Why not?"

He eased back down on the bench warily. "Jamie. My parents didn't want a freak like me at home."

The word "freak" struck a chord. "I'm Molly, and if your parents didn't want you at home, then they probably wouldn't have asked my dad to find you."

Jamie seemed to consider that for a moment. Then he shook his head. "They just want to keep up appearances."

Molly crossed her arms over her chest, trying to warm up. She stared out at the water again. She sighed. "So here we are. Stuck far away from home. How did you get to Charleston anyway?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Molly smiled at him. "I magically appeared beside you. Try me."

Jamie returned her smile. "Okay." He puffed out his chest. "I teleported here."

"Really? My dad knows a guy who can do that. He can time travel, too."

Jamie narrowed his eyes. "You making fun of me?"

"No," Molly shook her head. "I'm telling you the truth. You're not the only one with a power. Mine is to find people." When Jamie didn't answer, Molly continued. "That's how I found you, but it didn't work quite right. Usually I just see the person, but somehow, I came all the way here."

"You teleport, too?"

"No, my mind is the only thing that goes other places." She shrugged. "I guess my body followed this time." She shivered. "It's getting colder out here. I wish I was home."

Jamie's eyes widened. "Hey, you're fading."

"I'm what?"

"You're fading. Maybe if you keep wishing, you'll go back."

Wishing. Maybe he was right. Molly closed her eyes and wished with all her heart. Suddenly, the cars, the water, and the cold vanished. She felt her soft mattress underneath her and a warm hand on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see the concerned faces of both Matt and Mohinder Suresh, her other foster father.

"Matt? Mohinder?"

Mohinder pulled her into a fierce hug. "You scared us to death, Molly. What happened?"

When he let go, Molly explained her strange trip, including where she went and her conversation with Jamie. Matt and Mohinder listened to every word. Once she finished, Mohinder exchanged a glance with Matt.

"Well, Molly, it seems your power might be growing. It sounds like you might have astral projected. Is it all right if I run some tests?" Mohinder asked.

Molly shrugged. "When haven't you run some tests?" She then turned to Matt. "You promise to help Jamie?"

"I promise. Since he teleports, I'll contact Hiro and see if he can help." He took a deep breath. "I'm going to have to stop asking you for help. It always seem to take a turn for the worse."

Molly smiled. "No, it doesn't. I helped someone and I made it home. That's all that matters."

And, boy, was she glad to be home.


End file.
